One Month With Ivy Jo

8 days young

It's been a wonderful and crazy month with our sweet Ivy Jo.  Just like always, time is going too quickly and she has already changed so much.  I can honestly say I am trying to soak up every moment this time around, because I know I will blink and she will be turning five.  The newborn stage is exhausting, but I really love it.  Memorizing every inch of their sweetness and getting to know their tiny personalities will never get old.  She gets held a lot, and I am totally okay with it- even if it means my house is sort of (really) neglected and I don't get ready 90% of the time.

Miss Ivy spent the first few weeks of her life getting to know all of the people who love her so much.  Nana Joni spent the first eight days after she was born taking care of our new family of five.  She is the most selfless person I know, and even though this was my third go around and this time she only lives 180 miles away instead of 1,800, I still cried my eyes out when she left us.  

My grandparents made the drive from Pocatello to Twin Falls when Ivy was just one week old and ended up watching the older girls while my mom and I took Ivy to a lactation appointment at the hospital.  They even brought groceries to make us dinner!  I am so grateful for their influence in my life, and that now my own girls get to feel of their love on a regular basis.

Of course lots of sister time has been going on.  Stella and Eliza have been the best little helpers, always willing and eager to grab a diaper or burp rag, insert a binky or give kisses.  Every morning the first thing they want to do is check on their baby sister, whether that means peaking into her bassinet or climbing into mom and dad's bed for some snuggles. Stella is particularly obsessed, as she gets anxious whenever Ivy is sleeping in another room and ends up asking where she is and when she will wake up every ten minutes.

And of course the mom and dad are totally smitten.  Neither of us can get enough of the cute baby sleeping on our chest, and we spend lots of time talking about how sweet she really is.

When it comes to sleep, the first month was to be expected.  She was eating every three hours on the dot, but at night was taking nearly an hour and a half to eat and fall back asleep which meant most nights sleep came in 1.5-2 hour increments.  Between trying to recover from my c-section and getting used to running on very little sleep, I was so exhausted that first week home.  However, being so early and small made her extra sleepy during the day, which meant lots of pictures of a cute sleeping baby made their way to my phone's camera roll.

Her first doctor appointment was at four days old, and dad was lucky enough to accompany us.  I had just gotten my staples removed right before Ivy's check-up and it was the most I had walked in four days, so I was quite tired while we were waiting for and talking with the doctor.  Thankfully everything checked out great and there wasn't anything too pressing I needed to remember other than the fact that she was already back up to her birth weight of 5 lb. 9 oz. and that I wore that exact same shirt at Eliza's first check up three years prior.  Gotta love that postpartum wardrobe.

Her two week check up took place on my first full day alone with all three girls.  The girls were initially going to a friend's house while I took Ivy to her appointment, but it ended up being the four of us walking through the office doors only a few minutes late.  Of course the big sisters had to be right in the action the entire time (well, until it was time for the heel prick and then they were happy to take a step back) and it ended up being such a sweet moment as I listened to Stella comfort her baby sister by telling her "Don't worry Ivers, we will always be right here for you.  We won't ever leave you!"  

Miss Ivy again checked out great and by the looks of her cheeks it was no surprise the her weight was up to 6 lb. 4 oz. (the birth weight of her big sister, Stella!)

Ivy has been such a good baby, and we are ever thankful for that, especially since she has to spend a little extra time in her car seat as we shuttle the big girls to and fro. The first sign that she needs to eat or a little readjusting is her grunting.  She is grunts so much and sounds like a little goat when she does it, which has affectionately earned her the nickname of Billy Goat.  She gets a little mad when she needs a diaper change or has to take a bath, but who can blame her?  She has been a great eater and as soon as she wakes up she wants her food.  Unfortunately we have another spitter on our hands, but for the most part it doesn't seem to bother her.  Sadly she is still bit stingy with her smiles, as in she hasn't smiled once besides when she is dreaming, but I think she still likes us.

Ivy

Stella || Eliza

I wanted to recreate the pink Boppy pictures again, but this time around I had lost the white bow and took the pictures at a week old instead of after only a day or two of life (third child problems!)  People always asks who she looks like and then come to the conclusion she mostly has her own look.  She seems to be more Palmer than the other girls with her dark hair and more olive skin tone.

Ivers, Ives, Ivy Girl, Jo Jo, Billy Goat

One of the most miraculous parts of having a new baby is the instantaneous way you forget how you ever lived without them.  Actually having her here has calmed so many of my fears about adding a third child to our mix.  She fits just like I knew she would, and I love the place she is so quickly carving out in my heart.